Conservative state legislators gathering earlier this month at the American Legislative Exchange Council’s annual meeting overwhelmingly defeated a resolution supporting a “revenue neutral” carbon tax. The resounding defeat reveals the mythical nature of a common media theme of late; that conservatives can support, should support, and are supporting a carbon tax.

Writing in the Daily Caller, Michael Bastasch reports a think tank representative attending the ALEC meeting sought to attach an amendment supporting a revenue-neutral carbon tax to an ALEC resolution. The ALEC legislators, representing state legislatures throughout the nation, unanimously rejected the amendment. The private sector representatives in attendance, consisting of conservative think tank representatives and companies potentially affected by a carbon tax, also voted unanimously against the amendment, with the lone exception being the person who proposed the amendment.

Earlier this summer, I had the opportunity to debate former Rep. Bob Inglis and R Street senior fellow Andrew Moylan on the carbon tax issue. As I noted in the debate, no matter how a carbon tax is implemented, it would never be revenue neutral. Moreover, there would be many severe negative consequences of a carbon tax even if it could be implemented in a revenue-neutral way.

“This vote against a carbon tax in an ALEC meeting in Chicago about two weeks ago comes after Republicans in both the House and the Senate voted unanimously against a carbon tax earlier this year,” writes Bastach.

The establishment media continue to paint the narrative that conservative support is growing for a carbon tax. The establishment media, however, appear to live in La-La Land.